Humble Objects

Everyday objects hold so much beauty when you look closely. Like these old chopping boards, every mark on them is a note about life lived. Two of these are from thrift store so I can't say what kind of food these have served. But I could imagine that the round one has had several cheese platters in evening get togethers. Sharp knife has made it's marks on surface when blue cheese, brie, bread cheese etc. have been piled on top of crackers with marmalade. The other one looks more like it has been used to cutting strong onions when soups and sauces have been stirred to fill stomach on Mondays and Wednesdays. What comes to the big chopping board it has been in my own use. I bought it when I moved to my first own place. Apartment was in Helsinki and I had one room in a big grey house of blocks that was cold on winters. I read books and wrote uni essays under a blanket because otherwise I would have freezed. In these past 9 years I have cut lots of bread on it, minced a lorry of onions and sliced veggies and fruits. I have also grated chocolate to deserts and hammered cookies to make great bases for cakes. Past years it has every now and then worked as a surface where I have drilled some minor projects. It has worked well and been worth the money it cost (was it a package of two boards at a tenner?). So much everyday history in a humble object you might not actually even see when you use it. 

What would be the next stop for well used chopping board? To be used in the fireplace of cast to waste bin. I have no idea what has made worn out chopping boards so trendy that you can see these in every house if you browse an interiors magazine. Maybe it is part of the huge trend of wooden surfaces and natural look. We want to see authentic and used objects instead of glossy and sterile table tops that look like no one has ever used them. Life is allowed to show and it has become a matter of status to show that there is life outside the screens. That someone has luxurious time to mess around in their home preparing food. Maybe some of these status chopping boards have actually been bought as second hand to add that something to a home that lacks the natural shabbiness. 

Past weeks in many continents people have suffered from exceptional heat and the discussion about climate change has run equally hot. I presume that humble used objects will have a new deeper meaning soon. An apartment that has all new from table tops to sofas, carpets and porridge cups might not be something one wishes to show off. Second hand and upcycled items are forms to express that one knows the time we are living and respects the limits of nature. Objects that have become shabby in use are something to show with pride. We might start to compare how well we have used the stuff we have bought, how long it has lasted, how many times we have fixed it and how many years we have still to use it. Some upcycled items tell their former use in an interesting way. I think in the future upcycling is the new norm and we won't be able to tell whether an object is made out of upcycled material or not. Through creative eyes and skilled hands objects take a second form and become new again.

Repaired textiles used to be something to be ashamed of. Was it two years ago when repaired clothes became a fashion trend and patches were allowed to show? I have two design chairs I have bought from thrift store. Both had minor holes in the fabric and I repaired those. With careful inspection one can see that the chairs are not brand new. But both work well in their use and look great. Last year I visited famous Finnish design store Artek. What I saw in the stylish and beautifully curated store was old design chairs that had been painted in Finnish homes in past periods of time. Those chairs were on sale in the store among all new design furniture. It shows how objects that have been practical and beautiful when bought have not lost their value during the years they have seen. Years are allowed to show when the functionality is still the same. 

I have heard that wooden chopping boards are not used in professional kitchens because of food hygiene issues. At private homes these are practical and stand against time and knife for years. When too worn out we can lift these to the wall of fame in our kitchens and honor their part in our everyday life. Used board might take us back to the moments we have forgotten and to details of life we haven't even thought about. During that first year in my own place this chopping board did't see much knife. I mainly cooked noodles and soups that required hot water and not much else. After that I became more interested in preparing food and this board has experienced many flavors as I have tested new recipes and invented my own.

What is the story of you chopping board has to tell? Or if you just purchased a new one who knows what exciting adventures it has ahead! Art of everyday.

Inspiring wooden materials that are from thrift store. Except the one on right that has seen bread and drill as well as the early noodle period.

Sculptures how to: In the sculptures I made from my chopping boards I used metal sticks that were bought as second hand too. I sawed the biggest board to work as a stand, then drilled a hole for the metal stick. I attached the chopping board to it by drilling two pairs of very small holes to the board and then twining the board to the stick with wire. 

Wishing You the best of weeks!

Sannu

Quilt Art: Everyday We Wake Up

Everyday we wake up and a new day is ahead. A day that will never come back after we have spent it. Time doesn't make difference between Sundays and Mondays. It is wonderful to wake up on a  Sunday morning when you have a free day to spend as you like. But time is spent on Monday too and Wednesday. Precious time of ours that is never coming back. They say a human being only wakes up to die. How I have thought that quote is that we can't actually understand how limited our time here is and we are kind of surprised when it actually ends. It is an abstract thought that we live and then we don't. 

To actually treat everyday with the importance it holds is a difficult task. Time goes so quickly and weeks just float away and that is how it is. It is part of life as time is not tangible. From the view point of time there are no class A and B days. Of course some days have more meaning to us than others. Most of the days hold so much routine it is difficult to tell days form each other as same activities take place in same order. But these are not class B days. When we go to sleep today we cross one day from the calendar. One day of our life that is not coming back. Do we think about it that way or are we waiting for something to happen so that we want time to pass quickly? Is it more important to focus on those days that are more special, more enjoyable? Tomorrow is one ordinary Monday, should we hope that it goes quickly? To get to the next day and finally reach the weekend, if weekend is the one holding more expectations than the five days most of our calendar is filled. 

Tomorrow is a lovely Monday, a start for a new week that waits to be experienced. It is motivating to think what we can do tomorrow, who we meet and what unexpected things may happen. We have had and will have moments we want to wipe out of our memory. But to wipe complete weeks in advance, just because we think those mundane days will have nothing to offer, is quite radical. So tomorrow when we do some everyday task we do it once in a lifetime at that time, at that age and in those exact circumstances. Special day, tomorrow is, as was today. 

This is what I have been pondering when sketching and sewing my latest quilt project. Time and everyday life and how great all days are when you come to think about it from the right perspective. This quilt project is going under the name Morning Puzzle. I have been practicing on focusing and enjoying every day equally as much. I try to book time for things I enjoy the most: crafts, reading, writing, walking and cultural events. I don't have time to make these all every day, it would be impossible. Yet I do some of these things on every week day. It is inspiring to think all the activities that the day at hand holds and make it meaningful. The geometric patterns you can see in the quilt symbolize porridge bowls and sandwiches. Round shapes and the color palette for this work came from my everyday breakfast. Porridge beige, lingonberry yoghurt pink, orange and pale blue, because a book that I was reading one morning had a cover of that color. 

Here are some project pictures. Every part of the process has it's own beauty and it is pleasing to see how the quilt begins to take an actual material form step by step. I will put more pictures when the work proceeds.

Have a truly inspiring new week my dear friends!

Comb Ceramic Inspired Easter Eggs

Easter is not so far away and I think it is time for a small Easter DIY project. I am not taking huge pressure about Easter decorations. Although I have to tell you about a nightmare I had in January. I saw a dream that Easter had gone and I hadn't decorated any Easter twigs and in that dream I was very sad about that and thought that now I have to wait another year to make things correct. It is a bit funny actually that after that dream I knew it was a nightmare but now that I think about it it would't be that tragic if I don't have any Easter twigs, laugh. But because of that dream and the feeling of disappointment I had in that dream I have already bought feathers to make Easter twigs. Also this Easter my friend from the other side of Finland is coming to spend the holidays with me so I want my home to look festive. Some decorative eggs, Easter twigs with feathers, Easter grass and a bunch of chocolate treats will do the thing. I have a storage full of decorations I have made during the years so I might bring some of my favorites to display. 

My recipe for a relaxed celebration is to spend some time with a simple craft that goes with the theme. Every now and then I like to put hands in clay so to speak and mold and ponder what shape the it will take. When I concentrate on some simple project it allows me to focus that moment and forget all the busy thoughts that sometimes occupy the mind. The best thing about this Easter Egg DIY is that the technique is easy and materials needed are minimal. In this DIY project you get to examine nature's own patterns, plan what kind of pictures to draw and feel the material taking shape. I got the inspiration for this project from the current terracotta trend and old comb ceramic objects that have the most interesting patterns. 

You will need:

Plastic Eggs

DAS Modelling Material in Terracotta Color

Water

Tools to make patterns:

Get creative and look what you have in your cupboards. 

Look for example shells, wooden sticks, forks, knives, buttons, pearls, yarn..

Step 1. Cover the egg with modelling material. Put some water to your hands to make the material work better. Use knife if needed to make the surface about even.

Step 2. If you need guide lines to make the decorating easier, yarn is a great help.

Step 3. Decorate the egg with some pattern tool or draw triangles and lines with a toothpick. Here you can see some examples of tools that make interesting patterns. Shells are wonderful and create beautiful organic shapes. With a chopstick it was easy to make a fun dotted egg. Herringbone and triangles I have drawn with a toothpick. 

Step 4. Let the eggs dry about 24 hours or more. Turn the eggs to make them dry from all sides. Now you have trendy terracotta colored Easter eggs that go to different styles from minimalist to bohemian.

Inspiring new week to you all!

Sannu

Quilt Pattern: Memory of August

You are allowed to laugh at me if you like. I have made a new quilting project thinking of warm late summer sun even though there is constant pour of snow and strong winds outside. Coldest winter months are at hand so it is actually very logical to dream of summer and gather warm inviting colors to a quilt's palette. The first draft I made for this project before Christmas but the darkest three months I keep a break from quilting. These projects need light in order to succeed because there are so many fine details. Seams need to match and stitches to be even so the look is finished. Not to talk about color planning. I don't want to notice in the first sunlight that colors I have chosen are anything but the colors they seemed to be in artificial light. It might be interesting for you to compare the first ideas on my bullet journal spread to the final version you can see in a pillow. Idea can be seen in the drawing but every time the end result is a little bit different after the whole process.

I have made quite many quilt projects during these years when I have been blogging. In the pictures you can also see the very first quilting project I have put in this blog, the Creative Night Shift. It is a blanket made with log cabin technique and has been a start for my colorful quilting style. Before that I have made two blankets, some smaller works and about five pillows if I remember correct. Quilting is a hobby that easily turns into a passion of a lifetime. It offers endless possibilities to learn new, test different styles and plan your own projects. If you study more about traditional quilts you will learn how much symbolism they hold. Learning about the symbols take you to an another level of quilting. I have tried to catch some emotions to my quilts, how I have felt when planning and making and what has been around me at that moment.

This month's pattern is called Memory of August and I share with you some tips how to make your own piece. In my last post I opened the planning and making process and from that you can read how much time it takes to create a new quilting pattern. If you like my work please share on social media and/or link to my blog so people can see these posts too. Also if you get inspired by my posts I would love to see your own creations, connect on social media and visit your blog. 

Color planning. The print with black birds was too strong to company with the rest of the fabrics so I left it out. After making the first blocks I saw that I needed to add strong yellow to brighten the palette.

Memory of August

You will need:

Cotton fabric in red, grape, pink, peach, orange, yellow and pattern.

Sewing yarn

Embroidery yarns

Batting

Batting fabric

Back fabric (pink)

Also:

Sewing machine

Quilter's rule

Cutting mat

Rotary cutter

Scissors

Iron

Needle

Embroidery hoop

Pins

Ruler

Pencil

Step 1. Cut 6,5 * 10 cm rectangles: 10 in Grape/ 10 in Orange/ 8 in Pink/ 8 in Red/ 8 in Yellow/ 8 in Peach

Step 2. Make triangle blocks using 6,5 * 10 cm rectangles. Combine together grape and orange / pink and yellow / red and peach. To a block you need two rectangles in both colors. Put the rectangles as shown in the picture right sides together and matching together opposite corners. Attach the pieces together and draw a line from corner to corner. Remember to make the second piece as a mirror image.

Step 3. Sew from both sides of the line with 0,75 cm sewing allowance. Cut the pieces apart following the drawn line. Open the seam with iron.

Step 4. Now you have four triangle rectangles. Cut off the extras that come out of the sewing allowance.

Step 5. Now you have many ways to place the rectangles and create different patterns. In this project we are using the first and sixth way. With grape and orange use the first one and with red and peach & pink and yellow use the sixth.

Step 6. Sew pieces of the block together. First long sides together and then matching the seams combine the two parts. Note that there is a bit bigger sewing allowance when you combine the two parts!!

Step 7. After you have made all triangle blocks measure a block and make plain rectangles in following colors: 4 in orange/ 4 in red/ 2 in pink / 4 in pattern.

Step 8. Sew blocks together following the picture above. Remember to iron well.

Step 9. Layer together batting fabric, batting and the quilt, pin and sew. Then stitch the layers together using embroidery hoop, embroidery yarn and needle.

Step 10. After you have stitched the layers together cut off the extra batting and batting fabric. Sew the quilt into a pillow. Tips for that you can find from my previous quilting tutorial. 

I wish you the most wonderful and relaxing weekend my friends! If you need more quilting inspiration check these two tutorials:

>Brisk Winds, Warm Stoves

>Bohemian October

Sannu

Framed Moments

I have noticed that in quilting there are few special moments that tell you if the project is going to the right direction. Nowadays I know to seek for these moments and I work until I reach that step before I continue crafting. First step for me is choosing the right colors. After I have drawn the first sketch of a pattern I begin to go through my fabric stack. I make color families, some with harmony, some with contrasts and some with unexpected pairs. One method I use too is to take one print fabric and then choose colors to support it's palette. Usually when I am drawing a new pattern I have an idea what colors I will use, is it going to be more about red, blue, or green hues. I could also choose to have all the colors of the circle in bright graffiti shades. When the color combination begins to form I might need to buy one or two new fabrics that I don't have in my fabric cabinet. It is more of a tradition that I need to visit a fabric store. Because quilting is a craft that is time consuming I allow myself to purchase new equipment and materials quite often, there is no point using colors that don't feel exactly right and then spend weeks planning, sewing and stitching a pillow or months when a bigger project is in question. 

When colors have been chosen I begin to draw detailed color sketches. I draw 4-10 sketches where different parts are colored with different fabrics. After this process one or two begins to feel right and I choose one for further development. I plan and count the cutting as precisely as possible. Then I cut a sample of fabrics according to my cutting plan and begin to sew sample blocks. It might be that the pattern doesn't actually work in that size or with that fabric and I have to make corrections. Then I sew some blocks more. I begin with the blocks that have most seams and cuttings and then continue to count other blocks according to measurements of the most difficult ones. Like for example in my latest project I first made all triangle blocks and then measured and cut the rectangles that go between. I had a quite detailed color palette but one fabric I had planned to use between triangle blocks was too dominant and I left it out and went with no pattern fabrics that give space for the design. I cut few rectangle samples and played with the blocks. Then one setting looked interesting  and it had some challenge. I don't like too much harmony and every work needs to have spark. In every project I also make a test. I have a bad eyesight and when I take my glasses off all I can see is color blur. So I use my special power and take off my glasses to see if the colors are working. If there is for example too much yellow in one corner and then a bunch of red in another I make corrections so that the work looks even and colors go smoothly. 

Then it is time to cut the last blocks, sew and iron before one of my favorite parts comes. Stitching the batting. To be honest I used to hate this part. I have a small apartment and stitching a larger project is difficult or even impossible. When I understood that I can make smaller projects it was a heureka moment. With pillows or table runners it is easy to get an even batting. Embroidery hoop stays tight, you can sit and embroider in a comfortable position and there is no horrible back ache that comes from working with heavier projects like blankets. Now I love to plan the stitching and even if I stitch every block decoratively it doesn't take ages to finish. The ultimate framed moment is when the first part of the work is attached to the embroidery hoop and I have made the first stitches. It is the moment that tells if the project has succeeded. Because a successful project is a piece of modern art framed with embroidery hoop. It works as itself and could be hanged on the wall. Its colors please and challenge the eye. Lines cross in harmony creating an interesting pattern. It is the moment I am hooked in quilting and it encourages to start a project after project.

What are your framed moments? Do you love quilting or do you have another form of self expression?

Inspiring and creative week to you all!

Sannu

Spontaneous Home Tour

 

Today when I came home the whole apartment was bathing in sunlight. I rushed to my camera and started taking pictures. Even on a sunny day we have light about 2-3 hours so I had to be quick. After several snowy days and quite dark December it was wonderful to see all the colors in their full bloom. Now that I have edited the photos I can see a leading theme in my home and it is bold pink. There is no corner in my home where there is no pink. Pink is reckless, energetic and inspiring color. Especially small pink details make a nice modern twist to bohemian style that can otherwise look too shabby.

I haven't shared that many interior pictures from my home lately the lack of light being the main reason. Kitchen corner is the only place that has a bit more light even on a cloudy day. It would be impossible to get good quality pictures in a living room when it is dark outside. It has worked fine to take most photographs in the kitchen and play with styling. Now that there begins to be more sunny days I feel inspired to start decorating other corners of this studio apartment. I have no plans to change the whole style. I like the mix of colors, old and new furniture, grey and pink combo and big wall posters and mirror wall. Yet I feel super inspired by the 2018 trends: Earthy hues, terracotta, berry colors and Pantone's color of the year ultra violet. To bring 2018 into my home I am going to go with small home decor DIYs. I already visited thrift stores today to get materials for projects. 

Sometimes it feels that nothing has happened in home decoration sector so it is good to have these reflective moments. Usually home decor DIYs that I make take their place in my home and I take a picture of that corner. Then after a while I change the order of furniture and decor and it looks a bit different. Last year has brought more pink details to my home. Ikat inspired lampshade DIY, wall clock that I made of an old plate and a new quilted blanket that I put on the wall. Two new pillows have found their place as well as furniture makeovers like the magazine/book stand with marble details. I have had many fun and inspiring moments making these projects and I can't wait to have more ideas and experiments this year! 

This year one of my goals is to post more often and write about small things and thoughts. As I told on Saturday's post I have taken the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge so you can expect posts about books and reading. I will also post about DIY projects because crafts, old stuff, recycled materials and experiments are my true passion. Without making and creating I am not truly alive but merely existing. I will continue to play with colors and recycled materials. This year's leading theme in home decor, DIYs and lifestyle could be ecological maximalism. Multitude of colors, textures, layers and atmosphere can be achieved with creativity and upcycling of existing materials.